Within a few days, state officials will make public information on how much money West Virginia state government officially collected in August. Keep your fingers crossed, especially if you want to see more potholes patched.

Revenue in July, the first month of the new fiscal year, was far below what had been projected. Collections for the state general fund were nearly $33 million less than the $317.6 million estimate.

It was even worse for the smaller, yet critical, state road fund. Planners had expected that account would receive $157.5 million in July. The actual total was just $102 million. …